Castel del Piano: Palio Town on Amiata’s Western Slope
A working town on the Grosseto side of Monte Amiata with a bareback Palio every 8 September, the road up to the Macinaie, and a place in the Montecucco wine zone.
San Quirico d’Orcia: An Emperor, a Pisano Portal, and a Garden
San Quirico d’Orcia Tuscany: Barbarossa’s 1155 visit, a Giovanni Pisano portal, and a Medici-era garden. Read our guide and plan your stop.
Monticchiello: The Village That Writes Its Own Play Every Summer
Monticchiello Tuscany: a walled village that has written and staged its own play every summer since 1967. Read our guide and plan your evening.
Castiglione della Pescaia: A Lagoon Saved, a City Found
Castiglione della Pescaia beyond the beach: the Ximenes marsh, a Pisan castle, and Etruscan Vetulonia. Read our guide and plan your day.
Bagni di Lucca: Where the English Came to Take the Waters
Bagni di Lucca Tuscany: hot springs, an 1837 casino, an English cemetery, an Anglican church, and the Shelleys’ summers. Plan your visit.
Barga: Italy’s Most Scottish Town and Its Double Sunset
Barga Tuscany: a walled hill town with Scottish roots, a sunset that happens twice, and a Buffalo Soldier’s last stand above it. Plan your visit.
Vagli Sotto and Careggine: The Village Beneath the Lake
Lago di Vagli Tuscany hides Fabbriche di Careggine, a drowned village that has resurfaced only four times. Its story, and what to do there now.
Camporgiano and Piazza al Serchio: Tuscany’s Upper Serchio Valley
Camporgiano Tuscany: an Este fortress full of Renaissance pottery, then Piazza al Serchio’s farro fields and craft beer. Explore the upper valley.
San Romano in Garfagnana: A Fortress Where the Past Talks Back
San Romano in Garfagnana Tuscany: the Fortezza delle Verrucole, where guides in period dress bring a garrison to life, and the Orecchiella. Book ahead.
Castiglione di Garfagnana: Lucca’s Island in Enemy Territory
Castiglione di Garfagnana Tuscany: 14th-century walls built to face the neighbors, and a barefoot Holy Thursday procession. Plan your visit.